FREMONT — Cheyenne Willey grew up taking care of his mother and younger sister, and that strength, integrity and concern for others carried throughout his life, his sister said.

“He was a rock; he was always there for you,” Stacy Willey, 33, said Sunday. “We never really knew my father, and he was never around, so Cheyenne was the male figure in our household, and he was like my father.”

In the Army, Sgt. Willey exemplified those values working with contractors to help Iraqis rebuild their war-damaged homes.

The 36-year-old from Fremont was killed Friday when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Baghdad, the Department of Defense announced Sunday. Also killed was Sgt. Regina Reali, 25, of Fresno.

Both were assigned to the Army Reserve’s 351st Civil Affairs Command based in Mountain View.

Willey, born on the Fourth of July, grew up in McComb, Ill., aspiring to be a police officer but found a career in the Army instead, enlisting in June 1995 and serving with the 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, based at Fort Bragg, N.C., until 1999.

After working as a personal trainer and construction worker, Willey was motivated to return to the Army after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He enlisted for a second term in June 2004 and was deployed to Iraq with the 351st shortly after.

“He was very proud of his job because he felt what he was doing was very serious and very needed over there,” Stacy Willey said.

Dutiful and disciplined, Willey was well-suited for the military yet had a mischievous side, his sister said. He often joked with his sister in hourslong chat-room conversations during his deployment and played with his nieces when he was home.

His family had been hoping for a Christmas phone call from him over the weekend when they learned of his death.

“Kids are sent over there every day. And they’re kids — 18 and 19 years old — and they don’t even know who they are yet,” his sister said. “But my brother was a man. … He believed in what he was there for, and that’s what he died doing.”

Reali joined the Army in Sacramento in July 2000, according to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command. She deployed to Iraq this summer and was promoted to sergeant in November. Reali is survived by her father, Richard, and brother, Paul.

Both soldiers have been recommended for posthumous Bronze Star Medals and Purple Hearts, among other awards.

Since May 1, 2003, when President Bush declared that major combat operations in Iraq had ended, 2,028 U.S. military members have died, according to AP’s count. That includes at least 1,587 deaths resulting from hostile action, according to the military’s numbers.

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